Sttel-qil storage and heating tank



1. L. BERNARD.

FUEL 0H.v STORAGE AND HEATING TANK. APPLICATION FILED 'AuG.22. 191s.

Patented Feb. 1?-, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEEY 1.

Y Em

James Brnard Patented Feb.17,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JamS L. Bernard Mdm A510/MIEI' JAMES L, BERNARD, F BEAVER, PENNSYLVAIIA.

' FUEL-OIL 'STORAGE AND HEATING TANK.

Lasarte.'

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. it?,

Application fi1ed August 22, 1918. Serial No. QSLOS.

To all wlmi-t it may conce/ra:

Be it known that l, JAMES L. BERNARD, a citizen ot the United States, residing in Beaver, Beaver county, Pennsjf'lrania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel-OilStorage and Heating Tanks, of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to an .installation for storing large quantities of fuel oil and particularly to apparatus whereby'the temperature ot' the oil may be raised suflicienltly to liqueiy the cil so that it will flow freely from the storage tank. ln cold weather fuel oil congeals and in order to convey the same through piping it is necessary to raise its temperature in order to cause it to flow with ease. The installation shown herein is ot' sutlicient capacity to hold about a quarter of a million gallons of fuel oil and it is clear that under ordinary methods an extremely large heating plant would'be required to bring this entire mass up to a lowing ternperature.

One oi the objects of this invention is to provide means whereby comparatively small portions of the total mass stored may be heated as required to accelerate the How of quantities which will be normally required to 'be discharged from the storage tank. Another object is to construct the heating chamber in such a Way that it is accessible from the exterior' of the storage tank to enable workmen to enter said chainber when necessary to make repairs or clean out the same. A farther object is to rovide means for controlling the influx o oil into the heating chamber from a point outside of the storage tank. A still further object is to provide valves for controlling the discharge of oil 'from the heating charnber so that theoutilowing oil may be taken either from a. point near the top or near the bottom of said chamber or. when necessary or desirable, may be taken from both points. Another object is to combine the several elements herein shown and described in such a manner as to eil'eetively perform the functions set forth. 4

In the drawings Figures l and 2 are respcetively a plan and elevation (each partly in section) snowing the general arrangement of a preferred form of installation;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on an enlarged scale illustrating the heating cham- A ber and the heating coils thereof, it being a view substantially on line 3 3 ol: ll`ig'.

Fig. 4.- is a vertical section through the heating chamber being viewed on line 'elf-fl of Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. l and 2 the storage tank it is ol great size capable ot holding? approximately a quarter of a million gallons ot fuel oil and is provided with a smaller inner chamber B, the capacity ot which is approximately equal to thatot' one tank car. A gate-valve C controls the communication between the tank 'and the chamber ll and is operable t'rom the outside ot' the tank by means of a suitable hand-wheel D. lVithinthe chamber B a heating coil lil is supported on beams` l", l" carried by suitable piers (i. Steam or any other .suitable heating medium is supplied to the coil ot the heater li by a boiler H which is connected thereto by an inlet pipe .l and a return pipe K.

The chamber B is connected with a discharge pipe L which may conveniently discharge into a tank car M (Fig. 2), the pipe being suitably supported by a. column N. The discharge from the pipe L is controlled by means of valves (l and l. the latter valve being located in a branch Q which connects with the upper portionot the heating charnber. A third valve lt is provided in the pipe L for controllingl thedischarge through both of the valves P and O. A manhole tting S is secured to the tank and permits et access to the interior of the heating chainber to enable workmen to enter therein to make repairs or renew sections eL the heat ing coil when necessary or desirable.

n operation when it is desired to bring the fuel oil to the owing temperature steam is turned on to supply the heater E and the valve C is opened by means of the handwheel D permitting the oil to tlow *from the tank- A into the heating chamber The discharge from the chamber B is preterably through the valves P and the valve O normally being closed; however, if the oil does not enter rapidly enough through the valve C to maintain a suiiiciently high level Within the chamber B the valve O maybe opened to insure a steady discharge through the outlet pipe il; is clear that by manipulating' the' valve lt the discharge through both the Valves and P can be controlled.

The storage tank A is initially illed'la fprovidin i rectly in the bottom of the storage tank, in

the conventional manner by means of a suitably motor driven pump I connected with a suction pipe U and delivering the oil inte the top of the tankthrough the pipe V. The tank A is provided with a manhole fitting W and a drainage valve X.

The advanta es of an installation built as above described will be clear to those familiar 'with handling fuel oil. It is known that considerable trouble is experienced, particularly in cold Weather,K in bringing these heavy'oils to a liquid state to cause them to flow freely throughpiping, etc. By

the small heating chamber as dcscribed t e quantity of oil to be normally drawn off can be raised to its flowing temperature by means of the heatinvr coils E which require only a comparatively small amount ofboiler power where if it were necessary to heat up the entire mass contained in the storagetank A, a much larger boiler installation Would be necessary With. the consequent increase in the initial cost of the installation and the resulting high a cost of operation and maintenance.

A nrther advantafre of this construction is that valve C may be closed from outside of the tank by means of the hand Wheel D the heatmgf'hamber emptied so that workmen may enter throughl the manhole S to Imake repairs or yreplacementot the .heating coils or to clean ont the chamber when necessary. I

In cases Where large coils are placed li`A order to make repairs it is necessary to empty practically the entire tank and great eilliculty is experienced in supplying fresh air to the Workmen so they Will not be overcome by the fumes yin the tank. Whereas with the improved arrangement described,

it is only necessary to empty the com arativel small quantlty of oil from the c 1amber li and supply a correspondingly small quantity of fresh air to the Workmen enga ed in making repairs therein.

he heat Within the chamber B is also communicated to some extent to the surrounding oil so as to increase its fluidity and th'us to ease or accelerate its passage into the .chamber B. 'v

While I have described with more or` less vdetail the particular embodiments of the invention herein shown it is not to be imderstood that the invention .is limited thereto as various modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in y@the art Without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is- 1. In an installation of the class described, an oil storage tank of great ca acity, a heating chamber within said tan a valve controlling the communication between the tank and the heating chamber, and means for controlling the outlet from said heating chamber whereby vthe oil may be discharged either from the upper or lower portion thereof.

2. In an installation. of vthe class described, a storage tank of great capacity, a`

.a5manhole to give access to the interior thereof. aheating coil and a valve operable lirorrydittside of the storage tank for controllingthe communication between said storage tank and 'saidI chamber.

in witness Whereofnl` have` hereunto signed my name.

JAMES L. BERNARD. 

